Alison, originally from Chelmsford, now lives on the outskirts of Colchester. Throughout her working life she has worked in retail for a drawing office supplier and in various office environments, including a university and banking authorities, in locations in Essex and London.
Inspired by watching her mum sew clothes at home while growing up, Alison dabbled in making clothes but they never really worked out quite right - ending up either too small or too large. In 2015, after stopping full-time work, she made a carry bag for her pilates mat which provoked quite a lot of interest from the other class attendees. After several orders of the bag, Walkersmiths was started and numerous different accessories have been created since.
In contrast to other sellers of fabric items, Alison uses thicker cotton fabrics predominately used for upholstery and curtains. This creates a sturdier, tougher finish for the accessories. There is only ever one colour thread used, which is ivory.
When she’s not creating or producing, Alison spends her time gardening and organising activities for a Boys’ and Girls’ Brigade group which she has been involved in for many years.
